A great facilitator has the ability to make a workshop feel memorable for all the right reasons. The role goes well beyond setting an agenda and timing activities, and is about so much more than being “the boss” of a meeting. In fact, talented facilitators have the unique ability to…

Earlier this year, I polled my LinkedIn community and learned that most facilitators’ biggest fear during workshops is managing unruly or disengaged participants. And for good reason! While there’s no magic button to snuff out this behavior completely, there are a few things facilitators can do to get ahead of…

Have you ever experienced a moment in a workshop or meeting when it became abundantly clear that your participants weren’t on the same page about the objective for your time together? It’s a feeling most facilitators have encountered at some point in their careers and it’s not fun for anybody…

My story and practical tips to help you get out of burnout — How did a self-care-promoting, work-life balance advocate wake up one day and realize that burnout had gripped my life? When did I stop taking my own advice about well-being in favor of chasing validation? And what could I do to escape the cycle and find a new, more sustainable way…

How long does it take to name a baby? And how do you go about exploring options and choosing a winning name? The process is deeply personal, and for good reason. But naming a business, product, or service shouldn’t feel so personal, should it? The thing is, it sometimes does…

Prototyping can be one of the most energizing parts of a workshop. The team finally gets to see their ideas come to life, and in service of the problem they set out to solve and the needs of people they aim to help. But when it comes to orchestrating the…

Today we’re continuing our exploration of a winning workshop design, which is key to supporting a positive experience for your participants and reaching their desired outcomes. If you read Part 1, then you already know how to prime your group to hit the ground running. But what comes next? Today’s…

We’ve officially reached the dog days of summer here in the northern hemisphere: A time when we finally look up from our popsicles, flip flops, and sun screen only to realize that fall is on our doorstep. For a lot of people, it brings a moment of panic. Standing on…

Understanding user needs and pain points is essential for building successful products and services, but that doesn’t mean we need to get stuck going down a multi-month research hole in order to be “ready” to collaborate, innovate, or prototype. I know there are plenty of companies that invest a lot…